Crossbar suspension



June 22 1926.

' 1,589,579 c. T. WESTLAKE CROS SBAR SUSPENSION Filed March 9, 1925[avail/or (liar/es Z'Wtaf/t/fa W M tion of the hangers and cross bar tothe Patented June 22, 1926.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

CHARLES '1. WESTLAKE, OF ST. LOUIS, MISSOURI, ASSIGNOR TO COMMONWEALTHSTEEL COMPANY, OF ST. LOUIS, MISSOURI, A CORPORATION OF NEW JERSEY.

CROSSBAR SUSPENSION.

Application filed March 9; 1925. Serial No. 14,055.

My invention relates to railway rolling stock and consists in animproved hanger and cross bar assembly for car trucks.

The object of my invention is to prevent the accidental separation ofthe hanger and cross bar and to provide against the separation by theshapes of the parts themselves, thereby eliminating the necessity ofusing any additional securing elements.

I accomplish the objects of my invention by making the hanger and crossbar so that they may be assembled or disassembled by means of pivotalmovement about each other in a manner which is impossible so long as theparts are assembled with other truck elements.

In the accompanying drawings which illustrate a selected embodiment ofmy invention- Figure 1 is a vertical longitudinal section through atruck showing a spring plankcarrying cross bar supported upon spacedswinging hangers.

Figure 2 is a transverse section through the truck further illustratingthe applicatruck frame and spring plank.

Figure 3 is an enlarged detail of the hanger and cross bar when in anormal po sition.

Figure 4 is a similar detail showing the manner of assembling ordisassembling these parts.

The truck illustrated is made in the usual manner and I refer merely tothe transom members 1 of the truck frame and to the spring plank 2 whichis pivotally suspended from the transom members 1. This suspension is bymeans of the hangers 3 and cross bars 4. The upper ends of hangers 3 arepivoted by suitable bolts 5 to swing transversely of the truck. Thelower end of each hanger is provided with a slot 6, the lower edge 7 ofwhich is round. A pair of hangers at each side of the truck carries oneof the cross arms 4, each end portion of which projects through slot 6in one of the hangers and substantially fills the same and, beyond thehanger, is bent downwardly iii a curve as shown so as to provide aprojection 8 which overlaps the lower edge of this slot and preventsmovement of the cross bar at longitudinally of its length andtransversely of the hanger to separate the two. As the body portion ofthe cross bar is substantially deeper than slot 6, it is obvious thatthe cross bar cannot be moved in either direction transversely of thehanger.

The curved portion of the cross bar forms an are about the point A andno normal cross sectional area on any radius from point A through thecurved end of the cross bar substantially exceeds the cross sectionalarea of that portion of the bar in the vertical plane passing throughpoint A, but vertical planes passed through the bar on either side ofthe hanger will cut cross sectional areas substantially greater than thearea of that portion lying in slot 6. Ob- Viously, pivotal movement ofthe hanger about the bar, or vice versa, as indicated in Figure 4 willpermit the two members to be disassembled but such movement isimpossible so long as the upper ends of the hangers are mounted upontheir respective bolts 5, thus guarding against any accidentaldisassembly of the hangers and bar.

Obviously the exact contour of the end of the cross bar may be variedwithout departing from the spirit of my invention as expressed in thefollowing claims.

I claim:

1. In combination, in a car truck, a vertical hanger provided with aslot, and a horizontal cross bar having a restricted vertical port-ion,spaced from its end, adapted to be positioned in said slot and havingvertical portions on each side of said first men tioned vertical portiontoo large to be moved horizontally through said slot.

2. In combination, a truck hanger and a supported member separable onlyby relative pivotal movement in a plane extending longitudinally of saidsupported member.

3. In combination, a truck hanger and a support member extendingsubstantially at right angles to each other and havin interengagingsurfaces which look the e ement's against separation by movement of thesupported member longitudinally of itself and transversely of thehanger.

4:. In combination, a car truck hanger 5 provlded wlth a slot, and across bar having a depression in one face upon which the same may besupported in said slot, the bar terminating near said depression in aportion having a depth greater than the depth of said slot and having aWidth no greater 10 than the depth of said slot.

In testnnony whereof I hereunto afiix my signature this 5th day ofMarch, 1925.

O. T. YVESTLAKE.

